God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. GENESIS 1:31

Choosing Life, Not Death.

“Sometimes Miracles Hide” is a song by Bruce Carroll. Michelle and John White have put photos of their daughter, Katie, to the music of this wonderful song. This video will depict that children with Down syndrome have a right to life because their “Life is Worth Living”!

Katie age 4 . . . Doctors predicted she might not be walking until age 4. But she started walking at 2. I guess they the good doctor was wrong . . . she’s kicking up a storm!

As you can guess from the photo, in 1989 I chose life for my daughter, Katie. She was planned, I got pregnant, she was born . . . end of story. But not really. This is just the very beginning of a life fulfilled. Has it been easy? There were great efforts put forth for Katie to develop and grow into the woman she is today.

Now reaching 33, every effort we poured into her is reaping rewards. But isn’t this the story about every child who brings blessings and joy to every family? It is work raising a child, yes, but it is so worth it.

Kate with brother John

Truth be told, every person alive has some sort of limitation or disability in their life. Children with Down syndrome just show it on the outside. For most of us, however, our own imperfections are hidden and take more time to reveal themselves. Some are very visible like cerebral palsy, war injuries, people who are wheelchair bound. It’s called the journey of “life” with all it’s ups and downs. I missed something. . . Kate is autistic too!

Our family is very blessed by her. She is a gift, not just to our family, but for the entire community in which she lives. There is so much joy and happiness that I’d like to share with you as I write messages about our lives together. A child with Down syndrome has a right to live just as any baby has a right to live.

Kate with sister Chris while visiting Williamsburg.

It is the opinion of Michelle and John White that these children are made by God and for a very specific purpose. They (Children with Down syndrome and every person who has a disability) have a "Life Worth Living and every family with this prenatal test result should accept and love their child with Down syndrome. Our life was not over, but in fact, just beginning. They are a blessing. They are funny. They are not a burden. They are very "capable" to do great things. These children do, in fact, many “abilities”.

In an article by Ruth Graham (https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/05/how-down-syndrome-is-redefining-the-abortion-debate.html.) Unfortunately these children are being aborted. In Denmark these children are almost "extinct". One mother of a 10-year-old with Down syndrome told a reporter that she worries her son’s community is “being wiped off the face of the Earth with abortion.” The stakes of this debate are clear: It’s a conversation not just about prenatal testing but about personhood, about whether Down syndrome should be considered a condition or a disease.Celeste Blau and her husband, Patrick, play with Clementine at a park in Cleveland on May 25. Maddie McGarvey/Slate. In many parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom, the termination rate after a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis is now more than 90 percent. In Iceland, where testing is widespread, “we have basically eradicated, almost, Down syndrome from our society. In many parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom, the termination rate after a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis is now more than 90 percent. In Iceland, where testing is widespread, “we have basically eradicated, almost, Down syndrome from our society,” one geneticist told CBS last year. In the United States, screening is not as widespread, but about three-quarters of women who do receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome terminate the pregnancy, according to a survey of recent studies published in 2012. Data suggest that the number of Down syndrome births in the U.S. would be about one-third times higher today if it weren’t for prenatal testing. Down syndrome diagnosis is now the natural and obvious thing to do. Introduction to this option is, after all, a primary purpose of prenatal testing. In several recent op-eds in the Washington Post, Ruth Marcus articulated the view of the “silenced majority” of women who would have aborted a fetus with Down syndrome if prenatal tests had come back positive: “That was not the child I wanted. That was not the choice I would have made,” she wrote. “You can call me selfish, or worse, but I am in good company. The evidence is clear that most women confronted with the same unhappy alternative would make the same decision.”